Motivating Agile Teams: A Case Study of Teams in Ireland and Sweden

This research is an exploratory study, which investigates how the use of three agile practices - the daily stand-up, iteration planning and iteration retrospective - may contribute to motivation or de-motivation in an agile team in two different European countries; namely Ireland and Sweden. Several studies recognize that motivation is an important issue in software development and have identified factors that motivate software developers. However, relatively little is known about motivation in an agile context or how agile practices may impact on team motivation. Seventeen individuals across two teams were interviewed. The results indicate that in both countries agile practices can contribute to team motivation and de-motivation. This study hopes to make an important contribution towards research efforts in the area of motivation and agile software development by identifying factors that can contribute to and inhibit motivation in agile software development teams

A Study of the Use and Effectiveness of Controls in Agile Information Systems Development Projects: A Research-in-Progress (RIP) Paper

This study uses control theory as a lens to examine the use of control in agile information systems development (ISD) projects, specifically within software project teams that use agile methodologies. Traditionally, requirements for ISD projects have been defined at the outset and it has been the role of the project manager to control the project and help the team to achieve their goals. However, the goals of agile ISD projects are flexible and can change frequently, with the consequence that it can be difficult for a project manager to determine the most appropriate and effective type of control to use at each stage of a project. The aim of this research is to: develop a research instrument that will identify the control modes used by project teams in agile ISD projects; conduct a survey to collect data; and develop a framework for assessing the effectiveness of each control mode

Environmental management efficiency evaluation based on indicator information integration and DEA-Malmquist index

Aim: Completeness of indicator information is an important problem that needs to be further studied in environmental management efficiency evaluation (EMEE). However, this problem has not attracted sufficient attention in existing studies and there is lack of the total factor productivity analysis, which is an effective method to evaluate the environmental management efficiency change that has been applied in different fields.Methods: A novel EMEE model is proposed based on indicator information integration and DEA-Malmquist index, in which the kernel of the indicator information integration is the evidential reasoning approach with an indicator weight calculation.Results: The DEA-Malmquist index is introduced to evaluate the efficiency of environmental management and also analyzes its efficiency change based on the integrated indicator information. A case study of 30 provinces (except Tibet) in mainland China from 2005-2017 is provided to illustrate the analysis of regional efficiency distribution, efficiency change and improvement strategy of environmental management.Conclusion: The proposed model can provide a reference for the improving regional environmental protectio

Patterns of relational responding and a healthy self in older adolescents

Evidence from Contextual Behavioral Science indicates that two patterns of relating facilitate a sense of self, namely, self-as-distinction and self-as-hierarchy. Although the latter has been associated with better mental health outcomes relative to self-as-distinction, to date these types of relating have not been examined directly at a baseline level, wherein manipulation has not occurred. The present study examined the relative contribution of self-as-distinction and self-as-hierarchy on depression, stress, and anxiety in a sample of 102 young people, while controlling for deictic ability and gender. The role of psychological flexibility was also examined using mediation analysis. While self-as-hierarchy emerged as a significant predictor of lower levels of stress and depression, psychological flexibility was not found to mediate this relationship. Self-as-distinction did not emerge as a significant predictor of any outcome variable. Suggestions for future research on the basis of these findings are discussed

Understanding perspectives on major system change: A comparative case study of public engagement and the implementation of urgent and emergency care system reconfiguration.

OBJECTIVES: Major changes have been made to how emergency care services are configured in several regions in the Republic of Ireland. This study investigated the hypothesis that engagement activities undertaken prior to these changes influenced stakeholder perspectives on the proposed changes and impacted on the success of implementation. METHODS: A comparative case-study approach was used to explore the changes in three regions. These regions were chosen for the case study as the nature of the proposals to reconfigure care provision were broadly similar but implementation outcomes varied considerably. Documentary analysis of reconfiguration planning reports was used to identify planned public engagement activities. Semi-structured interviews with 74 purposively-sampled stakeholders explored their perspectives on reconfiguration, engagement activities and public responses to reconfiguration. Framework analysis was used, integrating inductive and deductive approaches. RESULTS: Approaches to public engagement and success of implementation differed considerably across the three cases. Regions that presented the public with the reconfiguration plan alone reported greater public opposition and difficulty in implementing changes. Engagement activities that included a range of stakeholders and continued throughout the reconfiguration process appeared to largely address public concerns, contributing to smoother implementation. CONCLUSIONS: The presentation of reconfiguration reports alone is not enough to convince communities of the case for change. Genuine, ongoing and inclusive engagement offers the best opportunity to address community concerns about reconfiguration

Mental health of adults in Ireland during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic: Results from a nationally representative, longitudinal study

No abstract available

Mental health of adults in Ireland during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic: Results from a nationally representative, longitudinal study

No abstract available

An investigation into the impact and use of project management methodologies in organisations in Ireland

The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of the implementation of a project management methodology on organisations, specifically in relation to the impact on the project manager, the project team and the organisation as a whole and to determine whether using a project management methodology can help project managers and organisations to better manage software projects. Five organisations in Ireland participated in the study and one project manager from each organisation was interviewed. The size of the organisations, the level of experience of the project managers interviewed and the methodology implemented varied. Differences as well as similarities across the organisations were identified. While the findings show that implementing and using a project management methodology is not without its difficulties, the benefits identified far outweigh the drawbacks. The study finds that it is not important what methodology is used as long as a methodology is used. However, there are benefits that can be realised by using an industry standard methodology as opposed to an internally developed methodology. The results also suggest that adapting an industry-recognised methodology to fit with the business processes can have a positive impact on the flexibility of the methodology. The findings of the study propose that by implementing and using an project management methodology, organisations gain a uniform approach to project management, have better control of projects, increased visibility on their progress, improvements in the success rates of projects and a means of comparing projects using specific measurements, with potential implications for practice.peer-reviewe